Welcome to our redesigned site. When I set out to redo the site, I wanted to make things more accessible to you, along with adding even more information. I think both were a success, and wait to hear from you about it.

Now, simply click on a blue word at the top of the page, and you’ll instantly go there to study whatever items you want. I also have this page now, to instantly update any current events I choose. Check back often for my ramblings. Now, on to the good stuff.

If you’re in the Orlando area, please stop by and visit my new shop, Matt’s Tennis, LLC, located at 510 Douglas Avenue, Suite 1013, in Altamonte Springs.

It’s small, but in it I’m set up to handle anything you could desire in racquet service, whether you’re a player, or a teaching pro or store owner who would like to “farm out” his racquet service business. Contact meto discuss the details.

A short time back, a gentleman brought me the racquet pictured below. “Broke a string; need it redone,” he said.

As I looked it over, I had to tell him it couldn’t be restrung. “You’re kidding,” he said. “Wish I wasn’t,” I replied. What’s wrong?” “This,” I said to him. (see pictures)

My photographic skills may not be the best, but I’m sure you can see the problem: the bumper guard had worn down so badly that the frame had been “perforated”. I was able to insert the blade of my knife into it on both sides. This racquet was ruined, and unnecessarily at that.Had this racquet been restrung regularly, I would’ve noticed the worn bumper guard and replaced it, allowing this player many years of use from the frame. As it was, he now had to purchase a new racquet and have it strung, anyway. A bumper and grommet set is a $10-20 investment; a new racquet like this will set you back about $180. “Penny wise and pound foolish” to the max!Deciding on, and adhering to, a regular stringing schedule can not only help you avoid problems like this, but make your racquet play better, as well. Don’t let your favorite stick die an early death like this one: care for it and enjoy it a long time.

Every year I go through this procedure, and list my opinions of certain things that caught my attention in the year that just passed. Like it or not, here I go again.

Your opinions are welcome.

Tournament of the Year: WimbledonDiamond of the Year (every year): NeilSeminar of the Year: Grand Slam Stringers SymposiumPlayers of the Year: Novak Djokovic/ Petra KvitovaDrama Queen of the Year: Serena WilliamsMouth of the year: Serena Williams (retires the trophy)Fix your Hat of the Year: Donald YoungRacquet of the Year: Dunlop Biomimetic 600 LiteFarewell of the Year: I’m retiring this section, because they keep coming back!Tennis Website of the Year: what do you think?Scandal of the Year: Screaming (sorry, “grunting”) on the WTA TourHottie of the Year: Julia GoergesPants of the Year: Bud CollinsYou’re Wearing that? of the Year: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (retires the trophy)Isn’t That Dress a Little Short? of the Year: most of the WTA TourWe’ll Never See That Again of the Year: Francesca Schiavone in a GS finalNewcomer of the Year: Ryan HarrisonWait ‘till Next Year of the Year: What will tennis be like in China?I Don’t Get It of the Year: why so many WTA Tour players seem to lack a basic knowledge of the serve

I was privileged to be asked to string racquets for professional players at the 2011 Palm Coast (FL) Futures event on the USTA Pro Circuit. A grueling 10 days saw me string over 130 frames for the players, plus more for the staff and members of the Palm Coast Tennis Center. Wayne Odesnik, in the early stages of his comeback to the tour, won the event after qualifying, beating Italian Nicola Gehdin in the finals; young American Jack Sock was half the winning doubles pair. If you’re in the Palm Coast area next January, stop by and check this tournament out. The staff did a fantastic job putting on the event, and the public and sponsors are staunchly behind it.

Luxilon Savage

Luxilon has come out with their newest product, Savage, in an attempt to market a hexagonal string. It uses the same liquid crystalline polymer as Adrenaline (so why they didn’t name it “Adrenaline Hex” or “Adrenaline Spin” is beyond me). My experience with Adrenaline was that this polymer didn’t help spin application, so they’re trying to help it do that by changing theprofile, I reckon.

Savage is the same diameter (1.27mm) as ALU Power Spin, but uses a hexagonal, rather than pentagonal, profile. Does it alleviate one of Adrenaline’s main weaknesses?

I definitely felt the string grabbing the ball in play, but the polymer’s other weakness – stiffness – was even more apparent. After just a couple of hours of play, my arm and shoulder felt the harshness of the string, and I felt the need to cut it out.

In short, Savage may help in spin application, but it won’t help your game unless you’re a very strong hitter. I’m not planning on stocking Savage, but will order it for any client who wishes to give it a shot.

Ashaway Dynamite Soft

Ashaway has been the leader in Zyex string technology for a long time, but it never has caught on. They’re hoping Dynamite Soft can change that. The Zyex core filaments look to be much smaller than on original Dynamite, which should add flexibility and comfort; the outer wear layer appears much the same.

The color sure is different, though, as the original lavender (which I never understood) has been replaced with a brilliant green. Everyone will know what you’re using, that’s for sure. It strings up exactly the same as original Dynamite (DT reading), elongation at 60# is a moderate 12%, and it, like its forebear, fails to reach 60# before breaking in my knot strength test, so I wouldn’t use it for high-tension, 2-piece stringing.

Gosen Powermaster II Spin

It’s too bad most folks don’t know about Gosen, because they’re a pretty innovative company, besides being one of the world’s largest string manufacturers (whether you know it or not, you’ve likely used some kind of Gosen string). Powermaster II is a unique nylon string with what Gosen calls flat (and I prefer to call rectangular) profile for extra ball-grabbing effects. The edges are definitely well-defined,

Isner/Mahut

I applaud John Isner and Nicolas Mahut for their great efforts and sportsmanship in what had to have been the most stern test in any sport at any time in history. I also hope it serves as a wake-up call for the All England club to institute a final set tiebreak.

Both these guys may have ruined, not only their year, but possibly their careers, by the severe stress this match put on them. Shoulders, arms, knees, backs, knees and feet were put to inhuman demands on the second day of this epic match, when they played for 7 hours straight. Isner was absolutely useless in his second-round match, and stated he had a dead arm and no skin on his toes. Mahut miraculously won a match at Newport 2 weeks later, but was defeated the next day.

This match could have ended on the second day with two hours of play, tops, if there was a final set tiebreak, and the winner could have had a chance to proceed in the draw. If the all England folks want to set a final set tiebreak at 12-all or 15-all, then fine: but, please don’t put anyone through this again.

Babolat RPM Blast

All the commentators were abuzz over Babolat’s latest poly string, RPM Blast. Used by both 2010 French Open winners, Rafa Nadal and Francesca Schiavone, along with women’s runner-up Samantha Stosur, it appears that players are generating more spin than ever with it (the name “RPM” signifies just what you think it does). I haven’t done a full review of it yet, but I do have some data.

RPM Blast has similar gauge, elongation and tension loss to Luxilon ALU Power in my static testing, so players could switch from one to the other without much stress, although rumors persist as to problems with consistency from batch to batch. As to whether it creates more spin or not, stay tuned for my findings.

Thunderstrings

From France comes the next generation of polyester strings. The Thunderstrings line consists of models in traditional round shapes, plus the latest trends in shaped strings: triangular and -- my favorite -- twisted triangular. These new designs promise greater spin from increased friction, plus enhanced durability from the triangular strings, as there are flat sides rubbing against each other. If you’re into poly strings, you should check ‘em out.

Babolat Smart Kit:

Babolat’s Smart Grip system was designed to give the player a more relaxed grip on the handle to increase feel and control with less stress on the fingers. Now, you can make any racquet into a “Smart Racquet” with this kit. Two panels build up the top and bottom of the handle to make it ergonomically correct (the kit flares out the bottom even more than the original technology), and a replacement grip is included. Now, you don’t have to buy a racquet to try this system out.

Volkl V-Icon Natural Gut:

If someone had told me that I’d be selling Volkl strings, I’d have had them committed. However, the folks at Volkl have stepped up and filled two vital spots in the string business. First, they introduced Gripper, a multifilament string with a textured coating. Next, they filled a severe price gap with V-Icon natural gut. Less expensive than Tonic +, and far cheaper than VS, V-Icon allows more players to gain the benefits of gut strings. While it’s not as nice as VS, it’s better than any synthetic you’ll use.